The evening world., 1887-12-24

tne year are not altogether without
l l;T9i = 3ho am not particularly re-
about christmas time. and do not think ] am
inclined to be superstitious. l have no skill
In STORYTELLING, but If you will allow me TO
relate a little incident, ! think you will con-
the belief that / have expressed"
.Ihere was q universal murmur of assent.
cigars were relighted, and every one settled
himself to hear the strangers narrative.
p,eering in over the heads of those who sat
about the door, Use gwine ter git away
from heah. / don't want ter heah emmy mo-
ghos' stories dis Christmas, no how"
we laughed, again. as he darted along the
passage towards the front of the car. As I
was seated on the side next to this passage I
soon heard him stealing back, and before the
narrator was well started in his story l caught
sight OF the dusky face peering cautiously in
In the winter of 1862" the gentleman be-
gan, " was one of the line officers of a vol
unteer regiment in the Army of the Cumber-
land. The army was lying. about Nashville,
Tenn, with Bragg some thirty miles AVA at
Murfreesboro. About the Goth of that mont
our ,outposts had been pushed forward on the
road to Murfreesboro. the right and left q lit
tie refused and our rear protected by the
Cumberland River. 1t was pretty generally
foot-race in the neighborhood of Tullahoma,
where the Confederates held. a strong posi-
ton, which was supposed to be well fortified,
as, indeed, it would have been had Gen.
after q little earlier. We were about in the
centre, and those of us who had gotten over
the idea that warfare was q holt
day business. as most Of. us had,
for our division was on the left at Perry
vile and was roughly handled there, were
beginning TO forecast our part in the coming
conflict with something like trepidation. On
that day / was unexpectedly called upon to
act as Assistant Adjutant- General on the staff
of the Colonel commanding the brigade, and
to march without baggage, except two tents
for the brigade headquarters. Where we
were to go we had no idea-that is the troops
had not.the Colonel commanding and his
that knowledge. In the early morning we
passed through the silent camp to the sleep
ing city, crossed the river and by sunrise had
made a good half-day's march to the south
eastward. The Colonel was proud of the
locomotive power of his men and never
missed an opportunity to display it. 1t had
showed all the morning, and what with the
cold and the now and the uncertainty in re-
gard to their destination, the soldiers were
in that most unpleasant of oil conditions of
mind, a mixture of apprehension and dis
comfort.
80 Where were we going p was the univer-
sal query. OF course, l pleaded ignorance.
The Colonel refused to give information, and
nobody else knew.
AS we bore steadily to the nerthward
opinions varied as to whether we were sent in
pursuit of Morgan, who was threatening our
sommu IN cat sn. or were to . turn T1t1. the ne right
became rough and our course changed to diff
ferent points of the compass so often that the
speculation upon the subject at length ceased.
The enemy seemed to have been in q like
quandary respecting our movements, which
we suppose was exactly what our command
ing General desired.
" On the afternoon of the 23d, after one of
the pleasantest marches O body of troops
we had to wade streams where the ice had to
be broken we reached our first hating place
the banks of q little stream known as Bed
soe's Creek. l was to learn years afterwards
the romance which gave it that designation.
That day the weather had moderated, the
light fall of snow had disappeared and the
oath dawned, as balmy and beautiful q day as
q Southern winter sun ever shone upon.
Our orders were to remain here until the
afternoon of Christmas. We were camped in
a splendid position, for the Colonel, though
he had been in the service but six months,
was a born soldier, and if somewhat reckless
in undertaking difficulty was alert and watch
full as a lynx.
'.'Of course, marching in light order. our
rations were not o~yer-abundant, nor our bill
of fare as varied as it might have been. The
old fields about the bivouac were full of
game, rabbits and quail. The men used
SNSAJ v ~ w IL ~ II
they could be started within the guard lines.
but not with much success. The near APP
preach of Christmas awakened a relish for
l~uxuries as well as softened the hearts of
Quartermaster, it was decided by the Colonel
to give the boys q rabbit hunt.
II am something OF a sportsman, but l
must confess that anything like that hunt l
have never seen before or since. The regi-
ments were marched out to regular positions
selected by the commander and marked by
the guides on the sides of various old fields
where the sedge-grass grew waist high. These
were intersected by small streams over which
the alders grew dense and dark. Here they
stacked arms. Tn wood and roads were
picketed and a guard was set over the gum.
The field officers remained mounted, and one
in each regiment was required to remain with
the arms. Then each man was directed to
cut q good stout club, and thus equipped re-
turned to the ranks. Thus far all was mys-
terry to the men. When the companies were
reformed each regiment formed a hollow
square in single file SO as to inclose as much
space as possible. Then the order Inward
FACET was given. and the four sides began to
close in Upon the centre. One universal
shout of laughter went up from the men as
they comprehended the character Of the
self to the sport. 1t seemed as if every square
yard of sedge grass hid q rabbit, and as the
lines closed in IN each other the medley of
staring eyes, Tapping ears. cotton tails and
sticks and stones thrown by the men was lu-
dicrous. When one field was exhausted the
same tactics was pursued with another. The
sport was boisterous and exciting. Every
body joined in it except those, detailed to
keep watch, and when we marched back to
our biyouac laden with rabbits, persimmons
and mistletoe / never saw a more jubilant
and rollicking set of men. Booths of ever
green and mistletoe were made, the game
cooked and eaten, we took our Christmas din
ner in advance-for the soldier never gives
credit to tomorrow for what may be enjoyed
to-day. The jolliication lasted well into the
night and in one of the brigade headquarter
honey which some one had been shrewd
enough to purchase at a farmhouse we had
passed the day before, enabled us to drink
the health OF absent loved ones in really en-
ioyahla tinnle